1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to slide fasteners in general and, in particular, to an automatically locking slider for slide fasteners.
2. Prior Art
An automatically locking, dual-tab slider of conventional type comprises two tab-operated members pivotally mounted on the respective wings or plate members of the slider body by use of separate pivot pins. One of the tab-operated members is complete with a locking pawl which normally projects into the guide channel in the slider body and which retracts away therefrom upon exertion of a pull on the pull tab in direct engagement with the tab-operated member having the locking pawl. In order to cause retraction of the locking pawl upon exertion of a pull on the other pull tab, both tab-operated members are provided with offset tongues which are loosely received in a cross-channel in the neck of the slider body so as to be in overlapping relationship to each other.
One of the objections to this prior art construction of the automatically locking, dual-tab slider resides in the pivot pins employed for pivotally mounting the tab-operated members on the slider body. The use of such pivot pins makes the assemblage of the slider extremely troublesome and time-consuming. Another objection concerns the cross-channel formed through the slider body neck. The proportion of the cross-channel is made so large to permit pivotal motion of the tongues received therein that the neck, as well as the complete slider body, suffers a significant decrease in strength.